


twilight sun

by noyabeans (snowdrops)



Series: writing with snowdrops (timeskip arc) [7]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen or Pre-Slash, M/M, MSBY Black Jackals - Freeform, Miya Atsumu's Single Brain Cell, Relationship Study, Shippy Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22462411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowdrops/pseuds/noyabeans
Summary: After Hinata joins the Black Jackals, Atsumu and Hinata stay back for extra practice.Where playing with Osamu was easy as breathing, the knowledge that Osamu would be right by his side reassuring and steadying, playing with Hinata is the complete opposite. Playing with Hinata brings a pressure that Atsumu had never experienced before they became teammates, even though he’s tossed for so many pro athletes.Contains spoilers for the current manga arc, up to chapter 381.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Miya Atsumu, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu, Miya Atsumu & Miya Osamu
Series: writing with snowdrops (timeskip arc) [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1608889
Comments: 9
Kudos: 485





	twilight sun

**Author's Note:**

  * For [majunju](https://archiveofourown.org/users/majunju/gifts).
  * Translation into Tiếng Việt available: [mặt trời chạng vạng](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23216818) by [gorgonlovebot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gorgonlovebot/pseuds/gorgonlovebot)



> Partially inspired by this tweet by [@atsuhinas](https://twitter.com/atsuhinas/status/1222030856635568128).

When Atsumu takes his water break, Omi-kun and Bokuto are soon to follow, depositing themselves next to him and grabbing their own bottles. Taking a gulp from his bottle, his gaze drifts towards the only player still on the court they’re sharing for drills today. The slam of leather on linoleum rings like a steady heartbeat as Hinata serves balls relentlessly over the net.

With the way the newest member of the MSBY Black Jackals trains, you’d think they were already deep into competition season. Atsumu shudders to think how it will be like when they enter season for real.

“Hey, Shouyou-kun,” he calls, picking up the orange bottle that’s still unattended to on the ground and waving it at its owner. “Water break.”

Hinata bounds over, taking the bottle from him with a wide smile. "Thanks, Atsumu-san!"

"You really shouldn't push yourself so hard," Atsumu admonishes as Hinata starts drinking. "Can't have ya burning out before you even play your debut match."

Somehow, that makes Hinata pull a frown. "I've got lots of things to work on, though. Atsumu-san, do you mind staying back with me to practice the quick today?"

Objectively, Atsumu should say no, because it is in both their best interests to not overstrain their bodies after a full day of practice. But this is _the_ quick they're talking about. It's not just a super-effective weapon, it's kind of a dopamine rush for both of them. So sue him if he has a one-track mind, he thinks at Omi-kun who is making an ungraceful snickering noise from beside him.

"Gotta see if captain's fine with that," he settles for saying, because he can't say _yes_ but he doesn't want to say no either. But they need captain's permission to be the ones to lock up, so.

Meian-san does let them stay, though he sets a strict limit of an additional hour _only_ as he hands Atsumu the spare locker room key. They wave the rest of the team off, Omi-kun waving a cursory goodbye to Hinata and ignoring Atsumu completely — which is _rude_ and entirely uncalled for — while Bokuto hollers a “See you tomorrow!” from the court entrance before draping an arm over Omi-kun, oblivious to the way Omi-kun grimaces and tries to shrug it off.

Unable to help himself, Atsumu snorts a little at their antics before walking over to the ball basket. “Now they’re out of the way, let’s play, Shouyou-kun.”

Setting to Hinata is always fun, but _especially_ when it comes to the quick. By the time Spring High of their third year rolled around, he and Osamu had refined their version of the quick enough to use it against Hinata and Tobio-kun when they matched up in the third round, but playing it with Osamu is far from being the same as playing with Hinata.

Where playing with Osamu was easy as breathing, the knowledge that Osamu would be right by his side reassuring and steadying, playing with Hinata is the complete opposite. Playing with Hinata brings a pressure that Atsumu had never experienced before they became teammates, even though he’s tossed for so many pro athletes. Whether it’s the pure hunger with which Hinata devours every ball or the sheer aura that he radiates, Atsumu revels in it. Even now, when it’s just the two of them on the court, he can hear Hinata’s voiceless demands — _to me, to me, to me, Atsumu-san!_

Once upon a time he had thought Tobio-kun wrapped around his middle blocker’s finger; only now that he is where Tobio-kun once stood, does he understand what it means to be tossing to Hinata Shouyou. Atsumu has always prided himself in setting balls that are easy for his spiker to hit and win with, no matter how much he must struggle to do so; but Hinata expects the opposite — Hinata only demands that he send him a ball, any ball, no matter how much it might fall short, and promises that he will win with it.

What a pair they make, Atsumu thinks, as he aims another pinpoint toss straight into Hinata's hand. Hinata slams it down fast; the way it whips to the ground sends a pleased tremor through Atsumu’s hands.

“Nice kill,” he says, stretching out his hand for Hinata to slap.

“That felt good!” Hinata exclaims. He is smiling again, his whole face illuminated even as he mindlessly wipes the sweat from his neck. When he straightens back up, he looks at Atsumu with a sudden intense quietness. “Atsumu-san.”

This is the side of Hinata that Atsumu is still trying to get used to — the ominous calm that Hinata now wraps himself up with, so different from the over-excitable boy he’d known in high school. When Hinata gets this look on his face, Atsumu always feels a little chill run down his spine. “‘Sup?”

“I wanna go even faster.”

Were Hinata Shouyou any other spiker, he would surely phrase this as a question to Atsumu, like “Could we—” or “Do you think we can—”, but Hinata Shouyou uses the words _I wanna_ as though it is a given, as though it is only natural that he should, and that Atsumu will, without fail, let him do it.

Were Atsumu any other setter, he would maybe say “You’re joking, right?” or “That’s impossible.” But Atsumu will give his spikers the world if he can, and what the heck, going _faster_? Sign him up. So he says, “Let’s try.”

They mess up the timing a lot, falling out of sync so much that Atsumu almost wonders if even Osamu would have been able to pull this off back had he still been playing competitively. He’d always been in sync with Osamu when it came to playing, but this is going beyond what was already considered an impossible feat. Then again, the extremities of Atsumu’s world had only ever been limited by what he could accomplish with Osamu.

Then Hinata’s fingers barely swipe the ball, sending it tumbling weakly across the net, and all thoughts of Osamu vanish from Atsumu’s mind.

“If we can do it once, we can do it again,” he says, helping Hinata up. Hinata grins like a lion unleashed, fangs bared and ready to strike.

They run a little over one and a half hours and Meian-san is going to have his head tomorrow when he checks the sign-out log, but that’s a problem for tomorrow-Atsumu to handle, because adrenaline is coursing through present-Atsumu’s veins. They’ve agreed to keep working on this upgraded quick in secret just so they can shock the whole team when the right time comes, because Hinata loves surprises and Atsumu likes to leave an impression.

“You’re really heckin’ cool, Atsumu-san,” Hinata declares as they’re leaving the Arena, the night air cool on their faces. “Like you just go _whoosh_ and the ball’s already in my hand?! How do you do that!”

It feels like there’s sunlight creeping up over Atsumu’s skin, sunbeams leaving a burn across the back of his neck. Osamu always calls him shameless and an attention hog, but there’s just something about the way that Hinata doles out praise so freely and genuinely that renders him speechless all the time.

“Says the one hitting ‘em?” he teases, ruffling Hinata’s hair out of force of habit and earning himself a disgruntled look. “I don’t think ‘Samu coulda hit those super-quick ones.”

That, somehow, makes Hinata’s jaw drop. Seriously, what’s so shocking about that? “ _Really?_ You don’t know that though, you’ve never played it with him, right? If you could pull that toss I’m sure Osamu-san would’ve been able to spike it!”

“Yeah, well—” Atsumu begins, because Hinata does have a point, but then he shakes his head. “‘S not like he’s playing anymore, so it’s a moot point.” He’s not about to start bemoaning his brother’s life choices now, not when they’ve crossed that bridge so many years ago. There’s no point in wishing for could-have-beens; both he and Osamu know that more than anyone else.

Hinata’s wearing a weird expression on his face, but it slips off just as quickly when the conbini comes into sight. “Say, can we go grab something to eat? I’m starving.”

“Yeah, sure,” Atsumu blinks, and follows after him. He could use a hot drink right about now, anyway.

The walk to their nearest subway station brings them through a number of residential apartments; at this hour, the streets are mainly settled into stillness sans the occasional rumble of a car from the main road. The wind has started picking up too, and Atsumu pulls his coat tighter around himself before realising that Hinata is wearing a very thin jacket.

“Aren’t you cold,” he asks, though it’s more of a statement than a question. “Why didn’t you bring a thicker jacket? It’s still May, you know?”

Hinata has the decency to look embarrassed. “I forgot to. But it’s colder back in Miyagi, so it’s fine!”

Atsumu rolls his eyes, reaching up to pull loose the scarf he’s wrapped around his neck. “That means it’s still cold, isn’t it? Stop for a bit.”

“It’s really fine, Atsumu-san—” Hinata protests, but stops obediently anyway, the dull glow of the streetlamp overhead casting his skin orange. Atsumu clicks his tongue, and gentler than he’d thought he was capable of, drapes the fabric around Hinata’s neck. He’s tied it enough times for Osamu when they were younger that he’s done quickly enough, but so close to Hinata, he can’t help but notice the flush riding high on Hinata’s cheeks, the heat radiating off of Hinata's skin, and the brilliant reflection of the light in Hinata's wide eyes.

There’s something brimming here that he doesn’t want to think about yet, so Atsumu takes a deep breath to steady himself, then steps back to give Hinata a onceover, ignoring the warmth that is coiling in his chest at the sight of Hinata in his red scarf.

“Return it to me tomorrow,” he says with what he hopes is a casual smile, before returning his attention to the road. “And bring your own, for goodness’ sake! You went to _Brazil_ , not Finland or some place with long winters!”

Hinata falls into step next to him, that blinding smile back on his face again as he tugs experimentally at the scarf. “Alright, Atsumu-san. Thanks for this!”

In between the punctures of their conversation, Atsumu listens to the skittering skip of his heartbeat, too loud and fast for his own ears. Under the quiet watch of the streetlamps, Hinata’s shadow overlays with his, time and time again.

Up ahead, the subway station comes into sight.

**Author's Note:**

> Atsumu doesn't have a one-track mind, he has one brain cell and it consists of Hinata and volleyball.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Thank you June for letting me play in this sandbox! 
> 
> If anyone is interested, my reference for the Jackals' home arena was the Panasonic Arena, which is the home arena for the Panasonic Panthers (off of whom the Jackals are based)!
> 
> [tumblr (rielity)](https://rielity.tumblr.com/) | [twitter (noyabeans)](https://twitter.com/noyabeans) | [haikyuu writing journal](https://noyabeans.dreamwidth.org/)


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